Filed to story: The Wolf Prince’s Fated Love
-I was sent to an enclave for training. In the past, only second sons were sent away to become warriors, but since I was the second child and only son, my father thought it likely I would have to protect my own throne. Little did he know I would grow up to want nothing to do with the throne at all.
But I spent seven years at the enclave. That’s actually where I met Kane for the first time. He was sent there on a tour. If he had a younger brother, his brother would have been sent to train, as well. But as you know, he was an only child when his parents passed.
I learned a lot of things there. How to fight with almost any weapon. How to survive on a few hours of sleep. How to survive alone in the woods as a man, not just as a wolf. How to use myself as a human shield. It’s funny, because while my father never intended it, he forged me into the perfect weapon to be the high alpha’s second.
Always,
G
That was unexpected, on so many levels. He hadn’t been angry or … I don’t know. He hadn’t even mentioned our broken relationship. It was a nice letter telling me about his past. So, what was in the rest of them? Maybe the angry one had been earlier on?
I flipped the pile over and picked the one that had been at the very bottom.
Dear Princess,
I admit I should have told you much sooner about who I am and my family. That was a mistake I regret. I know you don’t want to speak to me right now, and that’s okay. I hope these notes will let you learn a bit more about my past, and also show you that I’m holding nothing else back from you or our daughter. I’m going to tell you anything I can think of, whether it’s important or not.
But first, I’d like to tell you that you are my princess. I know, it came as a shock. But it just… felt right. If I had to be a prince, the least I could do was make you my princess. I’m sorry if that seems stupid or trite. I’ve heard the way you talk about yourself and the way others have said derogatory things about you in the past. But I don’t see you as your bloodline. I couldn’t care less that you’re half-human.
In my eyes, you’re perfect. Fit to wear my family’s crown. And if you want, one day, I’ll get it for you. My father would be overjoyed. Whatever we decide, when that day comes, we’ll decide it together. Petal would look as beautiful as her mother in the christening gown, of that I have no doubt.
Always,
G
I bit my lip as I lowered the letter to my lap. He wasn’t angry? These were make-up letters, anecdotes and snippets from his life so far. I was suddenly anxious to read every single word, perhaps twice. I craved knowing him so much, it was overwhelming. I carefully set the letter I’d finished on my other side and picked up the next one.
It contained a charming story about the time he’d broken his first bone, at twelve, spying on his older sister and falling out of the tree outside her bedroom window. I laughed so hard, I had to stop reading to catch my breath, because the way he described himself lying stunned on the ground while the limbs spun overhead was utterly ridiculous.
I got so caught up binge reading every single letter and absorbing all the tiny details of his life, I almost didn’t catch the rustle in the undergrowth. I don’t know what it was that alerted me finally, but I fixated on the low murmur of someone talking first, my head snapping up to scan my surroundings. I didn’t see anyone, but my wolf was edgy, all the hair along her ruff and back standing up at attention.
Had the girls or Gael followed me out here? Was Oli sleepwalking again? No, that was ludicrous in the broad daylight. Everything had been perfectly normal with her besides that one weird-ass night. Plus, a deep inhale told me I didn’t scent anyone from my own pack. I carefully gathered my letters and tucked them into the end of the log, safely out of sight, as I continued to listen. If they were close enough to hear, my wolf would be able to scent them if I shifted. But Brielle had warned me that shifting would get more difficult the further along I was, and I was pretty damn fast on foot. So, I waited, and I listened.
There were a lot of someones in the woods. The sounds of a large number of people trekking through underbrush were unmistakable, and they didn’t seem to be trying to keep quiet. The closer the sounds got, the more I realized the voices weren’t just talking. They were angry.
Unease filled me as I realized they were heading right toward me from the deeper forest, and I glanced around for any reasonable place to hide, but found none. This part of the forest was old-growth, well-spread, mature trees that, sure, I could duck behind, but a shifter would scent me in a heartbeat. In the past, I would have climbed a tree-one of my many beneficial skills learned growing up as a poor tomboy in the South-but that wasn’t safe or possible with my constantly expanding midsection. On the off chance I fell, I could really hurt Petal and myself.
Shit. Should I make a run for it?
I hadn’t bothered to bring my cell to call back to the castle because I liked the uninterrupted quiet out here.
But if I bolted, they would for sure hear me, and I was more than two miles from the castle. While I was fit, I wasn’t so egotistical to think no other shifter could run as fast as I could.
My wolf pressed forward, and suddenly, the decision was no longer mine as I landed on all fours, furry. She took us off to the side, away from the beaten running track I’d been frequenting, and deeper into the forest on silent paws.
My wolf’s light tan fur wasn’t the most inconspicuous in the deep green of the forest, but she was lower to the ground and quieter than I could ever dream of being in human form. And if no one in the group was shifted… maybe they’d write me off as a wild wolf? I wasn’t so giant to be confirmed on sight as a shifter.
She wove us between trees, slowly but surely putting distance between us and the oncoming horde.
And then I heard it.
“Hey, do you smell that? Somebody’s been out here. I think they went that way. She smells… weird.
Good,” a male voice I didn’t recognize said with a threatening growl.
“She smells fertile,” another male voice added. “We should chase her down and see if she’s up for a little fun.”
Their laughter made me feel sick to my stomach.
Shit.
My wolf picked up the pace, but it was too late for stealth. I heard part of the group break off, heading in my direction and moving much faster than the rest, as a few excited howls broke the air.
She flattened her ears and bolted deeper into the forest.
This was officially a chase.
FIFTY-FIVE
Gael
This debrief was grating on my nerves. I didn’t give two shits that Varga’s idiot son thought we’d faked the evidence or the Drakenia guild connection. We had proof, we had the witnesses safely locked down, and anyone who didn’t like it could choke on the receipts.
But I couldn’t say that because Reed and Lucien were going round and round in circles on what felt like hour eleven of debate over the next steps.
I was either going to pass out from boredom or break some of Kane’s antique furniture in this destructive mood. The buffet table had a giant, age-fogged mirror that would probably be very satisfying to take behind the woodshed with an axe. It wouldn’t fix my and Leigh’s problems, but it sure would make a satisfying sound when it shattered.
My daydreams about ruining ugly old furniture were interrupted by my phone going off with the emergency ringtone. It was Andrei, from the guardhouse. I had it to my ear in a second.
“We’ve got bogies. At the perimeter, heading toward the castle. And have you guys seen the latest news on PackNet?”
Andrei’s voice was strained, and I gestured for Sergei to flip the TV on the far wall of the office. “I’ve already called Cristian to lock down the castle and called in every extra pack member we have for security, but this doesn’t look good, Gael.”